Dusty,dusty wrote:I have, for a long time now (not always), had a personal rule of no Radio or TV in the wood shop. I never gave much thought to computers in the shop because I never had one that I was willing to put out there in that dust.
However, I am now faced with a decision.
I just came into a few computer parts and, as a result, have been able to upgrade the old, old Gateway to a fully qualified computer, running XP, capable of going online (only 300MHZ processor), sporting two CD-ROMs (one is read/write) and 40 gigabyte of Hard drive.
Now this is no gaming machine by any stretch but is capable of accessing the internet and running Google Sketchup 7.
SWMBO (most of the time) cannot see any reason for why I have spent this effort getting this ancient old machine back up and running. I'm thinking about calling it the "Shop Computer" and setting it up in the shop.
I would rationalize that I will never be cutting wood at the same time I am working on the computer. Reasonable?.... or just .... Rationalization?
Paid $4929.25 for that old beast way back on November 25, 1997. I must do something with it to get my monies worth from the investment. Man, what a computer I could buy for that amount today?
Much of my thinking has been discussed yet I will underline that computers by nature will be destroyed by the dirty environment of a shop. A fellow I know owns a granite cutting operation. all of his equipment is controlled by computer. In turn the equipment destroyed his expensive computer system. The new computer system new resides in a glass walled room that also is a temperature and and air cleansed environment.
I have come to realize that a greater risk is associated with those unexpected flying objects. I intentionally keep my computers in clean temperature controlled rooms. They are far too valuable and expensive to replace to risk having them in my shop.
Jim
